Monday, November 30, 2015

Seafret uploaded “Wildfire” as a Soundcloud stream. Until now, the UK duo steered clear of uploading their music onto Soundcloud. We understand the reasons for limiting free streaming of their music. On the other hand, staying away from Soundcloud limited the options available to the bloggers who would like to spread the word, since Hype Machine is partial to Soundcloud posts.

“Wildfire” includes the vocal soars and thoughtful lyrics that characterize the music of Seafret. The song will be part of Seafret's debut album “Tell Me It's Real,” which is scheduled for release on January 29 through Sweet Jane/Columbia Records.

Seafret is Jack Sedman (vocals) and Harry Draper (guitar) from Bridington, a coastal town of the North Sea. The band name has both a musical significance (a guitar fret board) and a personal significance (a “seafret” is the term for the rolling mists that enter from the North Sea during summer).

We find the video for “Oceans” to be the most powerful in the video library of Seafret. Visually, the message is about bullying. Lyrically, the song is about a relationship – “It feels like there’s oceans between me and you once again; We hide our emotions under the surface and try to pretend.”

In a recent conversation about upcoming concert opportunities in our area, there wasn’t much agreement. We were surprised when the person asked with obvious distain, “Well, what do you like, Shoegaze?” Our unruffled immediate response was “Yes!” Shoegaze isn't our “go to” genre. But it is a genre that deserves appreciation, particularly in concert, since the on-stage processing adds another element of visual interest.

Rhinos Are People Too are generously offering a four-track EP on NoiseTrade (tips appreciated). The offer is embedded below the Soudcloud stream of a song from the EP. Not only do they have one of the more intriguing band names in Indie, they are one of the more interesting Shoegaze bands currently releasing music. We particularly enjoy the song “Pelkuri,” since it blends the characteristic Shoegaze guitar with a a clean guitar experience.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Free and Legal Downloads? Yes, at least temporarily. Bands often temporarily permit free downloads of new releases.The end of an offer might be based upon reaching a maximum number of downloads or the expiration of some period of time.But at least for now, here are songs that qualify as Free, Legal and Recommended (FL&R) downloads.

Finding songs that can be legally downloaded is easy. The difficult task is to find freely downloadable music that we recommend. But here are FIVE!

There may be other words that fit, but we’re going with “confidence.” It takes confidence in your skills to select a band name that’s commonly used to identify songs as belonging to other bands. The term “covers” is not always viewed favorably. And it makes it difficult for fans to use Internet search engines to find information about you.

Still, Covers in Melbourne, Australia is gaining attention with the release of “Amber Falls.” We’ve concluded this is the only band with music on Hype Machine and without a Facebook page.

“Amber Falls" by Covers (download by "clicking" the arrow next to the "Share" icon).

“Deep Forest Green” by Husky Rescue is not a recent release. But the trio is bringing out new material and the song is being promoted. Husky Rescue is from Helsinki & Stockholm, Finland. The members are Marko Nyberg, Johanna Kalén and Antony Bentley.

Raury visited the Rickshaw Stop last night, Nov. 25, in San Francisco.
This wasn't the original date nor venue scheduled for the show but this sell
out was no disapointment. Raury is a 19 year old hip-hop artist from Atlanta, GA with a mature viewpoint on
life, which is directy reflected in his music and lyrics. Raury would often
pause between songs and explain the meaning behind them, while sharing personal
stories of friends and life. He considers himself a member of the generation of
adolecents all part of the Internet Age, where information is easily and
endlessly accessible, calling himself an "Indigo Child."

“Repulsor” was flagged as being blogworthy even before the announcement that Crescendo would perform at SXSW 2016 in Austin.

The core members of Crescendo are Gregory Cole (guitar, vocals), Olive Kimoto (synth, vocals and Jess Roja (guitar, aka Jess Krichelle - marriage?), but the Facebook page of the band also lists Marco and Ford. The music of the band is in the genre blend of Shoegaze/DreamPop.

“Collapse and crawl to the door; with a face like that, you’re bound to get away with a little more.”

That declaration is in the lyrics of “Intimacy” by Sunbathers, a band based in Baltimore (and Washington D.C.).

Sunbathers is a Rock/Pop band that typically features crisp and undistorted guitar. They recently released a five-track EP (self-titled). “All Your Lovely Colors” is interesting, since it includes both the crisp guitar and Rock-distorted guitar play. In comparison, “Intimacy” is a focus on crisp guitar play and higher range vocals.

“Bonnie and Clyde” by Wild is in basically the same genre and is also driven by vocalization. But that’s where the similarities end. Wild is a trio in Los Angeles. The members are Zach DeGaetano, Tyler Thompson, and Kristina Antuna.

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Kings. is a trio based in Melbourne, Australia. The members are Hayden Jeffery, Sam Buirski and Tim Cox. Kings. generously posted the song “Whispers” at Triple J (https://www.triplejunearthed.com/artist/kings-0) and we have been listening to the song on a regular basis since discovering that post.“Whispers” by Kings.

As fans of the band Yes, we are immediately attracted to songs that have a hint of the original sound of the band. Enter “Emergency Exit” by Scarlet Echo. The lead vocalist of Scarlet Echo is Hannah Stanbury, who at various times has much in common with the vocals of Yes’ Jon Anderson. A good example at the 40 second mark of “Emergency Exit,” which begins with the word “through.”

Scarlet Echo is an Essex, UK band with two females and two males. In addition to Hannah Stanbury (vocals, guitar), the members are Jamie Burroughs (guitar), Miles Hobbs (bass) and Save Alex (drums). The “echo” portion of the band name is appropriate. Rumor is that in the making of their recently released debut album, “An Exact Portrayal of Nothing in Particular,” some singing was done using the Alex’s cupboard.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

“Close to Gold” is a result of the versatility of Hippo Campus. The Wu Lyf influence was present in other song by the band, but Hippo Campus remained true to their genre, “Kinda Pop” (quoting their self-identification on their Facebook page). Embedded below is the band’s performance of “Suicide Saturday” during a visit to Conan’s late night show. Yes, it’s Kinda Pop.

On the other hand, “Close to Gold” is more aligned with the Wu Lyf sound, while retaining elements of the Hippo Campus sound. Wu Lyf self-identified its genre as “Heavy Pop.” To the eyes, the difference between Kinda Pop and Heavy Pop doesn’t appear very significant. But to the ears, the difference is undeniable. The vocals in “Suicide Saturday” are melodic. In comparison, the vocals in “Close to Gold” are choppy and somewhat defiant.

“Close to Gold” is not the first venture of Hippo Campus toward the Wu Lyf campus. “Little Grace” is somewhere between the Kinda Pop of “Suicide Saturday” and the “Heavy Pop” of “Close to Gold.” However, that song more closely approaches “Kinda” than it does “Heavy.”

The members of Hippo Campus are Jake Luppen (vocals), Nathan Stocker (guitar), Zach Sutton(bass) and Whistler Allen (drums).“Close to Gold”

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

The Hunna are traveling at high speed in the UK, based on social media data. But the wind has not fully hit their sails in the U.S. That will change. “Bonfire” exhibits the guitar skills of the band. It also shows the vocal versatility of The Hunna, since it requires both melodious and belt-it-out vocalization. Lyrically, the song is about an impending breakup, which appears to be mutully agreeable; and we particularly love the verse:

Burn. So let's burn this to ashes

Burn. And go our own ways

Burn. So pass me the matches

And we'll both watch the flames.

The Hunna is from the London area (Hertfordshire). The four members are Ryan Potter (vocals, guitar), Dan Dorney (lead guitar), Jermaine Angin (bass) and Jack Metcalfe (drums).

Monday, November 23, 2015

Song structures are often sectional. A common pattern is vocals/instrumental/vocals. Even the vocals are sectional, for example verse/chorus/verse/chorus. The six-section structure of “Run Or Hide” is reflective/angry/reflective/angry/reflective/angry. Both vocally and instrumentally, the even numbered sections are enraged. It works well.

“Run Or Hide” is the latest release of Run River North from San Fernando Valley, California. The song will be on the upcoming album “Drinking from a Salt Pond.” The album is scheduled for drop on February 26, 2015. The six members of Run River Runa are Alex Hwang (vocals, acoustic guitar), Daniel Chae (electric guitar, violin), Jennifer Rim (violin), Joseph Chun (bass), John Chong (drums), and Sally Kang (vocals, keys).

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Edelweiss opens up their new EP, "Philadelphia," offering a wide variety of sounds and borrowing from many genres with the first song “Winston.” The song initially manifests itself as an ambient and mysterious mingling of noises, but ultimately takes on a progressive rock, wonderfully sloshy sound to it. Especially commendable in this song is the wide range of instrumental versatility. The drums take on many different grooves and patterns throughout just the one song.

Taking on a punk vibe, the EP continues with “Species,” the most widely listened to track on the album. Slightly more organized than the other songs on the album, this track is easy to listen to and upbeat.

As the EP continues with two more songs, “Cookies & Brownies” and “Goblin,” it becomes increasingly clear that while each component of the EP is not necessarily unique unto itself, the EP manages to soak up different sounds that have been heard before and render them in new ways.

Yes, I’ve heard The Strokes, FIDLAR, Kings of Leon, and Incubus before. But I’d never in my life heard them all in combination with one another—let alone heard a sonically pleasing amalgamation of the bunch—until I listened to Edelweiss’ new EP. If you’re becoming jaded with the everyday Indie-Rock music you hear in everyday life, trade out the norm for a distinctive blend of sounds pulled from many different musical techniques and styles with Edelweiss’ "Philadelphia."

The Dunwells will release an album in February 2016 and will attend SXSW in Austin the following month. For us, there are two reasons we’re pleased. One, Indie Obsessive has its tickets for SXSW and intends to be as close as possible for a performance by The Dunwells. Two, since the tracks listed for the upcoming album include “Communicate,” it is currently relevant. The song was on a 2014 EP, which in the blogosphere is much more than a “doggie year” ago. We’re taking advantage of this second occurrence of current relevance, since we missed the ship during the first.

The strength of The Dunwells is their vocals. The band includes a pair of brothers with pleasing voices. The similarities of the sibling voices achieve a close vocal blend that is difficult for other bands, while the differences are great enough to provide some contrast.

The lyrics (best guess at times) are pasted belong. The song is about a relationship that did not go as hoped and is now a topic for discussion, but the plea is “Please Communicate.”

The Dunwells are a quartet from Leeds, UK. The members are Joseph Dunwell (vocals, guitar), David Dunwell (vocals, guitar), Rob Clayton (bass) and Adam Taylor (drums).